On the tenth day of Christmas...

December 15, 2018 11:39 AM |
Anonymous

On the tenth day of our 12 Days of Christmas Desserts,we are featuring Yule Logs!

Yule Logs from The SweetSpot Bakehouse

The Yule Log cake or the Bûche de Noël for you French speakers, is a classic French Christmas dessert used to symbolize a tradition that goes back centuries. The yule log cake consists of a rolled, filled sponge cake, covered with rich chocolate frosting to resemble tree bark. They are then often decorated with powdered sugar, meant to look like snow, meringue or marzipan mushrooms, fresh berries, and any other sort of edible decoration to complete the look of a freshly chopped log.

Yule Log from Manderfield's Home Bakery

The yule log cake has a long and delicious history:

The custom of burning the Yule Log goes back to before medieval times during Europe’s Iron Age. The word “yule” was the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe. During that time, Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans would celebrate the Winter Solstice and the days finally becoming longer, signaling the end of winter.

Yule Log from LushLife Vegan Bakery

Originally, the Yule Log was an entire tree that was carefully chosen and brought into the house. The burning of the log symbolized the cleansing of the previous year and the ushering in of the new spring. The largest end of the log would be placed into the fire while the rest of the tree stuck out into the room. Once the log was burned, the ashes were considered valuable because they contained medicinal benefits and would guard against evil. Some kept the ashes inside their houses because they believed it would protect the house from lightning, which was important during a time when houses were mostly made of wood.

Yule Logs from Hill Top Bakery

The custom of the Yule Log spread all over Europe and different types of wood are used in different regions. In England, oak is traditional; in Scotland, birch was used; while in France, cherry was the tree of choice. Of course, soon hearths became smaller, so the logs did too. In some cases, different chemicals (like those found in wine and salt) would be sprinkled on the wood to create different colored flames when the log was burned.

Yule Log from Sweet Perfections Bake Shoppe

While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the first yule log cake was created, but based on the ingredients, it could’ve been as early as the 17th century. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that Parisian bakers popularized the cake, and different bakeries became known for their more elaborate and elegant decorations. It is believed that the cake was created to symbolize the yule log tradition in places like Paris where burning a yule log wasn’t practical because of the lack of large fireplaces in the crammed city apartments.

Yule Log from Carl's Cakes

While yule log cakes aren’t as popular today, they are still a favorite Christmas dessert in many households and a favorite for bakeries to display in their storefronts this time of year. So celebrate the holidays and the welcome in the New Year with this symbolic and tasty tradition! We guarantee yule love it!